Blog
Avoid Summer Learning Loss
Past researchers have identified a consistent trend of learning loss over the non-instructional summer months with a decline in academic achievement during summer months. They note a steeper decline for math than reading, and a greater learning loss for students in...
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Test Prep for Grad School
Pursuing a career in the medical, teaching, or business fields? Don't trash those test prep books just yet! These professions, to name a few, often require testing for graduate admissions or licensure, and we can help! We have worked with many students as they...
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SAT Changes on the Way
Beginning in 2024, US students can say goodbye to pencils and scantrons as CollegeBoard ushers in a new digital testing format with significant content and time changes. The class of 2025 and beyond will be affected by these changes. While we're not sure what it all...
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Factoring Test Optional into Test Prep
As colleges decide to continue with test optional admissions or mandate test scores, juniors aren't sure what to expect when it comes to prepping for the SAT and ACT. Should they prep for the test and try their best, or not stress it if they can apply test optional?...
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Setting New Year Goals
It’s 2022! Inevitably, every New Year brings discussion of resolutions. Many of us write a long list of resolutions to share with our friends and family. A quick scan of your Facebook news feed will reveal many of your friends’ goals for 2022. Unfortunately, according...
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The 123s of College Admissions During COVID
The below interview was conducted in the fall of 2020 but the information/advice continues to be relevant during the 2021 college admissions season. For seniors (class of 2022), the advice remains the same. If you have an SAT/ACT score that falls in the average or...
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Back to School—Avoiding the Homework Battle
It’s that time of year again—changing leaves and cooler weather are on the horizon and our news feeds are filled with smiling children toting backpacks for the first time. While this seems like a beautiful scene, it often quickly devolves into the dreaded “homework...
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Virtual Field Trips & Online Educational Activities
Museums, historical sites, art galleries, and zoos offer excellent opportunities to learn outside the classroom. Ideal for kinesthetic learners, these types of field trips allow for plenty of movement while engaging all the senses. If you're unable to visit these...
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How About Grad School?
After four years of grueling undergraduate schoolwork, you might not want to see another textbook anytime soon. Dream job, here you come! But if the thought of job hunting right after college graduation does not appeal to you, graduate school may be the way to go....
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The Benefits of a Summer Job
On the last day of school, you can hear a collective cheer from students across the country. Two months of no homework, tests, or projects has finally arrived. For the high school student, a productive way to spend your time over the summer may be working at a job or...
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Is that a Good SAT or ACT Score?
When the SAT or ACT scores come out, we are often asked, “Is that a good SAT or ACT score?” This is a tough question to answer because “good” is very relative. Before we answer that question for a parent or student, we ask students to list their top schools and...
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Understanding Your ACT Score Report
The ACT score report provides detailed information to help you better understand your strengths and weaknesses in terms of ACT content. It’s worth taking the time to review your score report in detail before deciding if you should retake the ACT because your scores...
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Making the Most of Hybrid Learning
Seven months into the 2020-2021 school year, hybrid learning is now available for public school students across Virginia. Many students are excited about this opportunity to learn in the classroom, if only two days a week. Others, unsure of how the hybrid learning...
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Back to School COVID-Style
For many middle and high school students, these next few weeks mark the start of in-person instruction. After almost a year of virtual school, going "back" to the classroom just might be the most exciting time of the year. But before the excitement of socialization...
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Changes to the SAT
College Board has announced the elimination of the optional essay section on the SAT and all SAT II Subject Tests in an effort to reduce and simplify academic demands on students. Subject tests will no longer be offered to U.S. students and the essay section will not...
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Staying Connected During COVID
The year 2020 has brought many changes for high school students, from virtual learning to social distancing. While virtual learning has been successful for some and challenging for others, social distancing has been a struggle for almost all high schoolers. Months of...
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Top Three Concerns with Educational Testing
She's just lazy. He's not motivated. School is not her thing. These labels and perceptions can not only hurt, they can be 100% inaccurate. Students with undiagnosed learning disabilities may appear to be slacking off when their brains are simply unable to process...
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How to Request Accommodations for the SAT or ACT
You might be surprised at the number of accommodations available for standardized test takers. The long list includes familiar accommodations for students with learning disabilities, such as extended time and added breaks, as well as accommodations for students with...
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Back to School: Making the Most of Virtual Learning
Update: Current return to school schedules can be found on the Fairfax County Public Schools website, Prince William County Public Schools website, Loudoun County Public Schools website, and Arlington County Public Schools website. The start of this school year will...
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SAT Prep for High School Freshmen and Sophomores
Prepping for the SAT or ACT two to three months before the test date can feel a little overwhelming. That's why parents ask us all the time how their students can get a jumpstart on test prep freshman and sophomore years of high school. There are certainly ways to...
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